Robot

Process (computing)

Neuroscience

Biology

Materials science

Capillary number

Sensory system

Operating system

Capillary action

Computer science

Nanotechnology

Electronic skin

Interface (matter)

Neuromorphic engineering

Artificial neuron

Robotics

Artificial intelligence

Composite material

Tactile sensor

Artificial neural network

Perception

Human–computer interaction

Advanced Materials

Sensory neurons within skin form an interface between the external physical reality and the inner tactile perception. This interface enables sensory information to be organized identified, and interpreted through perceptual learning-the process whereby the sensing abilities improve through experience. Here, an artificial sensory neuron that can integrate and differentiate the spatiotemporal features of touched patterns for recognition is shown. The system comprises sensing, transmitting, and processing components that are parallel to those found in a sensory neuron. A resistive pressure sensor converts pressure stimuli into electric signals, which are transmitted to a synaptic transistor through interfacial ionic/electronic coupling via a soft ionic conductor. Furthermore, the recognition error rate can be dramatically decreased from 44% to 0.4% by integrating with the machine learning method. This work represents a step toward the design and use of neuromorphic electronic skin with artificial intelligence for robotics and prosthetics.

An Artificial Sensory Neuron with Tactile Perceptual Learning